Voting Rights Amendments to the Constitution
A primary source analysis of the various amendments to the Constitution that have expanded access to voting.
Voting Rights Amendments to the Constitution
- I can understand the various constitutional amendments that have expanded and protected suffrage.
- I can analyze the importance of voting in a self-governing society.
Essential Vocabulary
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abridged |
weakened or taken away |
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poll tax |
a tax that a citizen must pay in order to vote; poll taxes were historically used to prevent poor Black Americans from voting in the South |
Building Context
The United States’ representative system of government is based upon the consent of the governed, as established in the Declaration of Independence and “We the People” in the Preamble to the Constitution. However, Americans had to press for changes to create a “more perfect union” and expand voting rights to better live up to that Founding principle. Amending the Constitution has been one of the important ways of expanding suffrage. Some amendments have expanded suffrage to certain groups of citizens, while others have banned restrictions that limited or prevented voting.
Document Title: Fifteenth Amendment (1870)
Source: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/additional-amendments
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The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. |
Notes |
- In your own words, explain the meaning of this amendment.
Document Title: Nineteenth Amendment (1920)
Source: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/additional-amendments
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The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. |
Notes |
- In your own words, explain the meaning of this amendment.
Document Title: Twenty-third Amendment (1961)
Source: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/additional-amendments
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Section 1. The District constituting the seat of government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a state, but in no event more than the least populous state; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the states, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a state; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided by the twelfth article of amendment. |
Notes |
- In your own words, explain the meaning of this amendment.
Document Title: Twenty-fourth Amendment (1964)
Source: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/additional-amendments
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Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax. |
Notes |
- In your own words, explain the meaning of this amendment.
Document Title: Twenty-sixth Amendment (1971)
Source: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/additional-amendments
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Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age. |
Notes |
- In your own words, explain the meaning of this amendment.
Analysis Questions
- How do the above amendments reflect the principle of consent of the governed?
- Amending the Constitution is just one way that policy changes can occur in the United States. What is an advantage to expanding/voting rights through an amendment? What is a potential disadvantage?